Strength is
by Gemini Solitudo
Summary: With the Golden Sun guiding them, the eight heroes return to Vale, expecting peace at last. But strange things start happening, a call of darkness lulling the heroes, nettling them against each other in more ways than one. Felix/Mia
1. Prologue

_**Strength is…**_

DISCLAIMER: This is a fan fiction, meaning while the story is original, the characters of this story are borrowed from Nintendo and Camelot's game: Golden Sun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: With the advent of Golden Sun 3 for the DS, this is a long overdue story. This is a re-write for my story "Strength of Solitude". I was surprised someone left a reply after three years ('07-'10) telling me to continue. Surprised and touched, so much so I'm continuing this. I am also re-writing the first two chapters because I think my skills have improved and I have a new idea for this story.

Furthermore, I am aware most fan fictions have their romantic pairings stated out in the beginning. I will say this story has a Felix and Mia line, although I will focus on the other characters as well...and as to how they will end up, you will have to read to find out (mostly because I'm not quite sure how I want them to end either.)

Enjoy, and thank you for reading. Please leave a meaningful review, hopefully with constructive criticism and/or praise. :) One can never have enough of that.

-End Notes-

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**FELIX**

Silence told him his sister was angry with him. There were times Kraden would speak and Jenna would reply him, but whenever Felix was near, she would fall silent. Felix had talked little to his sister when the Proxians were near. When he spoke, it was to relay commands from Menardi more courteously or ask for her health. Her answers were stiff.

Tonight Saturos and Menardi had left them in a small woods in the snowy lands near the Mercury Lighthouse. They would not have been far, they did not trust Felix to keep guard on their prisoners, but they trusted their judgment a green boy and a greener girl with an old man tired from relentless journeying would not wander.

Tonight, Felix would confront his sister. Kraden was out by the fire and Jenna was inside the tent, alone. Felix went in after depositing another batch of tinder in the fire. She was huddled in a miserable position. She lifted her head when she heard him come in and seeing him, her expression grew as cold as the climate around them.

He sat across from her, cross-legged, peaceably, and observed her. His sister had grown, from a sunny girl to this hard young woman. Yet he thought he could still see a familiar shadow of her when she talked to Kraden.

"Do you remember we used to have staring contests?" Felix said.

Her expression did not change, "What is it you want?"

"To know my sister whom I have not seen for three years."

Her eyes sparked, "Three years which I thought you were dead."

"I was not. And neither are our parents."

Jenna's eyes widen, "What?"

"Nor Isaac's father. Kyle and our parents are safe. But hostages in Prox. That is why I am with Saturos and Menardi. Work with me, Jenna, and we shall win back the freedom of our parents… and Kyle."

"Work with robbers, _thieves_." Jenna spat out poisonously at the prospect.

Felix understood his sister's venom. He remembered Vale's strict law against going inside Sol Sanctum. To rob the Sanctum of its secret treasures, the Elemental Stars themselves, was heinous, an almost personal violation to the sacred. Yet he no longer felt that way; the Stars were a burden with the weight of Weyard herself. No sane man would want them, not if their goals were that of the Proxians. Perhaps that, or he had been away from Vale too long, forgetting the verdant grass along with the codes of a Valean.

"Jenna, Saturos and Menardi have their reasons."

"What are they then?" Jenna challenged.

For a moment, Felix was tempted to reveal the truth. But he decided against it; the burden was heavy, not right for any girl of seventeen to bear. "That is not for me to say."

The young woman in front of Felix cracked then, beneath her cold and venom: fury. "Felix uf Vale, you have just helped the plunderers rob Sol Sanctum, kidnapped me and _left our friends to die._" Jenna corrected herself, "_My _friends, who have helped me when my family was thought dead by the whole world. I owe them my life, and you _left them in a volcano which you helped to trigger to erupt. _Do you not have the decency to tell me at least why?"

"It's for your own good-"

"FOR MY OWN GOOD?" Jenna was yelling now, "MY OWN GOOD? DRAGGED TO THIS FREEZING WASTELAND FROM MY HOME. BY MY BROTHER WHO WAS _DEAD_ FOR THREE YEARS...WHO NEVER CAME BACK…" Tears unshed were in her eyes, "YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW I WAS FOR THE THREE YEARS YOU WERE GONE, FELIX? DEPRESSED, EVERY MOMENT WONDERING WHETHER I WAS RIGHT TO LIVE WHILE YOU AND MA AND PA WERE DEAD….It was _Isaac and Garet _who stayed by me and protected me… the other villagers, some pitied, some felt uncomfortable, some wished to court me or swindle me for the house-on-the-falls...and you _killed them._"

Jenna's tears were falling in earnest now. Felix moved toward her, but froze with the glare she shot him, and the words she said then: "Do not dream to wipe my tears away, Felix. I have shed too many over those three years which you cannot wipe away."

Silence between the both of them. _Silence again, _Felix thought bitterly.

"I am sorry. I shall take my leave for now." Felix said, and left the tent. When he went out, the old scholar Kraden was looking too intently at his book. Felix could not bear to sit with him near the fire, even though he was sure the scholar would not speak. He went deeper into the woods. Not too far, but he needed to be… farther.

_Wasteland_, Jenna had called his place. But she has never seen Prox, the land of ever blizzards and clouds. Felix was used to the cold by now, being a prisoner for three years in the coldest part of Weyard. The cold was calming and beautiful in a sublime way. In Prox, the cold was also lethal: layers of clothing could mean life or death. But here in the lands near the Mercury lighthouse, the cold was refreshing, and the snow was serene: a white mantle on the boughs and grounds. The sky was clear and the half-moon was bright.

Felix fell back on the thick snow, and closed his eyes._ Just for a while_, he promised himself.

In the cold, alone, was how Felix uf Prox learned to be strong. And in the cold, he found warmth.

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Please leave constructive criticism and praise for what you think I did well. I'd like to be encouraged and growing as a writer. Thank you :)


	2. Chapter 1

**JENNA**

One would think spending weeks and weeks aboard a ship would make one adapted to the sea. Not so for Jenna, granted she no longer needed to rush to the side of the boat after every time she ate, she still could not keep to her feet when the ship was carried by an unexpected wave and dropped suddenly. The feeling of weightlessness always unbalanced her, and this time she was too far from the corridor walls.

_Why, _Jenna thought ungratefully, _do Lemurian ship have such wide corridors?_

Just as she was ready to fall, someone steadied her. She turned her head to give thanks and felt quite weightless once more. She was staring at Isaac's face. Instead of thanking him, she heard herself blurt out in a demanding voice, "What are you smiling at?"

Her voice anchored her mind once more, and Isaac had released her by then, "You still can't stand in the ship, Jenna?"

Jenna blushed, speechless, and she knew not why. Isaac laughed familiarly and went to another topic, "And where were you going?"

"To the pantry. Didn't eat yet."

"Shall I escort you in case you fall again, my lady?" Isaac said, he did not laugh aloud, but his blue eyes were just as telling. She never saw eyes like her friend's, their shape and colour were unique, and she had trawled all across Weyard.

"Oh, shut up Isaac." Jenna replied, shoving his friend roughly in the chest and went on her way. But Isaac walked beside her. "Let the joke go or I'll singe you, Isaac." Jenna warned.

"No, I actually was going to the pantry as well…_Really_..."

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There was a time when Jenna thought herself as the eldest of the "Vale trio", maturing faster as a girl. Up until the moment she had been kidnapped from Sol Sanctum, she still thought herself as the eldest, even though she was born a season younger than both Isaac and Garet. But when she met her friends again in Contigo, she was bewildered. In the months passed they spent apart, her two friends had grew. Not only into more powerful warriors, but also as people.

They broke fast as they always did: a loaf of warm bread between them with honey and jam and butter. Jenna watched Isaac going for the butter first, as he did in Vale. Suddenly at that moment, she was fully conscious Isaac was there. Breaking fast with her.

"You haven't changed," Isaac said, breaking Jenna's train of thoughts.

Jenna smiled slightly, "I was just thinking how you changed... so much."

"Oh?" Isaac drew back a little, "Well, that's not to say you have not changed… to more beautiful than ever," Isaac grinned, "but… you're still… Jenna. My Jenna uf Vale."

Jenna blushed then, and Isaac noticed this time, he scratched his head, "That is- I mean to say-" He blushed as well, "I mean to say you're still my friend."

They smiled awkwardly at each other. "Perhaps you're not so different after all," Jenna said, "Still a bumbling boy somewhere inside."

"Exactly, you as well," Isaac said almost gratefully, "I meant to say, you're still fiery, good-hearted and slightly gruff."

"So that's my image to you?"

"I'm just glad. I was worried." Isaac said. Jenna looked up from her food. Isaac blushed again, "When you were kidnapped, you were still… unhappy. I…" He trailed off.

"Thank you, Isaac."

They smiled warmly at each other, and then continued eating.

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"Jenna!"

Jenna spun from the rail, and smiled when she saw who called her, "Garet," she greeted.

Garet grinned, "Enjoying the view?"

Jenna nodded, "And how were you enjoying the day?"

Garet turned to the sea, "I was thinking of… Vale."

Jenna did not have to guess what her friend meant, "I'm sure your family will be fine."

"Yes…" Garet said hesitantly, then as sudden as the wind, he turned to her and said "Jenna, will you marry me?"

Jenna blinked. _What?_ She wanted to say, but she couldn't manage a word up her throat.

"I…" Garet began, but stopped. And that made Jenna wonder what he would have said. _I am joking? _But it was not. Garet visibly look a deep breath before saying, "I have missed you terribly when you were gone. I couldn't stop thinking about you, I couldn't stop worrying if you were hurt. I have always adored you since Vale, but now… I've grown a lot, Jenna. I wasn't sure whether to ask you, when our lives were at stake on this quest, but now it is over. I can protect you. I want to protect you… forever, or for as long as I live. Be mine."

By this time Jenna was aware her cheeks were burning. And Garet's expression. _Very_ aware of Garet's expression. He waited.

"Garet," Jenna said finally, "give me time."

Garet broke into a smile, small, relieved, "Of course." He took a step forward, and then after a moment, hugged her. "I love you."

Sometimes Jenna would reply the same thing, for she _did_ love Garet deeply. But this time she kept silent. Garet pulled away and they looked at each other, Jenna tensed, Garet seemed to sense her whelmed state and only smiled his bright boyish smile. He hesitated before placing a kiss on her forehead, then blushed and walked away a few steps before running the rest of the way below board.

_Garet…_ Jenna stared after her friend, even after he disappeared, and then turned back to the blue, blue sea.

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I rather dislike the layout conversion does. It doesn't keep indents and spaces everything instead. And paragraphs must be separated manually with "."

Well, I'm sure everyone will grant me leaves on the layout. Hopefully the chapter was okay. Reviews are appreciated, as ever.


	3. Chapter 2

**FELIX**

Felix felt sick. Mount Aleph had _sunken_, and with it Vale. He could vaguely hear his friends' soft words, or maybe he imagined them. He barely felt Garet and Kyle push past him to see for themselves. He was falling, deeper and deeper…

"Someone has to call them," Kraden said, putting a hand on Felix's shoulder. That meant h_e _had to do it… Somewhere beneath the numbness, a spark of resentment flickered, _why does it always have to be me?_ But he called them anyway. They would have to go back to Vault, and think of what to do next. _But what was there to do?_ A hopeless voice said in Felix. There was nothing. He had triggered this. He felt cold, and his face hardened, _he had to do this. _Unconsciously, his hand went to his sword.

A touch on his arm made him turn and saw Sheba with a grin. It confused him, how can she be amused at a time like this? She pointed towards something, and Felix saw.

Towards the direction Sheba pointed to, there was the whole village. And Mia was walking with, Felix recognized, Garet's family up the hill. The sight made him feel suddenly lightheaded, like a drowned man who just returned to shore. He would not have the blood of the Valeans on his hand.

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"Felix,"

Felix turned and smiled when he saw who it was, "Sheba." He greeted in return.

It had been a while since he had the peace of mind to look at the wind adept. He looked now, and imagined he saw the curves of her body developed more. _She was… she _is _young, _Felix thought, _at least physically_. Her hair also outgrew her perfect coif she had when Felix first saw her. But it added to her beauty instead of diminishing it; she had changed from a haute princess to a wildcat, graceful, disdainful, but dangerous and powerful. Only her eyes remained the same piercing, _knowing_ purple.

Sheba sat next to him by the grassy hill silently. In the distance, there were sounds of the villagers celebrating. They should have been celebrating too. They should have been celebrating the most, having saved Weyard from crumbling, having braved so many dangers with all their lives intact… yet Felix felt far from celebratory.

"You are always tempting to Mind Read," Sheba said, after a few minutes sitting next to him. Felix laughed a little, "You are welcomed to," he offered his hand. Sheba looked at it for a moment before taking it and closing her eyes. The air seemed to shudder and suck him to Sheba for a moment; the physical effect was false, but Felix knew the feeling came from Sheba using her psynergy.

"Images of childhood and an overall feeling of glumness unexplained," Sheba said, withdrawing her hand and rolling her eyes delicately, "Typical Felix."

"I was hoping you could explain it for me, that unexplainable glumness" Felix half-joked, folding his arms over his knees again.

"There are a lot of things about yourself you don't know Felix. Mind Reading won't help you know what you aren't aware of."

Felix frowned, "What sort of things?"

Sheba considered him, "You inspect situations well enough when we were journeying, a pity you don't have half the skill in introspection."

"You are not helping."

Sheba laughed with her tinkling voice, "Very well, shall we talk about something else? A guessing game? What do you think I will do now?"

"Now?" Felix asked in confusion, Sheba rolled her eyes and waved her hands helpfully as if to say _Not _right now_, think._ He paused, then, "…You will continue on your quest to find out more about your past?"

"Correct," Sheba said, amused, "with the Golden Sun risen, maybe I'll find more clues. I intend to return to Contigo and inspect the Crater."

"You won't return to Faran first?"

"Maybe, I'm in no rush for this quest." Sheba frowned, "But I'm getting old. Faran might have plans of marriage for me."

Felix was surprised, "Are you afraid?"

Sheba gazed directly at Felix, "Yes."

"Speak to Faran, he dotes on you, he would not pressure a marriage on you that you find unpleasing."

Sheba sighed, "No, I suppose he would not." She looked as if she was about to continue, but held her tongue.

"Is there something else?"

"Yes," Sheba looked at him.

Felix frowned, "Traveling to Contigo by yourself? But I think you are strong enough to travel, granted if you had a few companions it would worry me less. But I am sure if you persist, Faran would send a-"

"Enough." Sheba interrupted. But when it was clear she wasn't going to continue, Felix began to speak, only to be stopped again by her hand.

It was not the first time he has been hushed by Sheba in such a manner, but she rarely did so, only when she was concentrating or he had suggested a plan of action too brash. Felix thought he was undeserving of such a treatment this time, but he let it go. He turned back to the sunken crater where Vale once was, the sound of celebration behind him for the fresh beginnings of New Vale. He had been anxious and excited to return to Vale from Prox. Would the villagers hate him? Would he be forgiven? But he remembered the sweet, green grass of home, his mother baking fresh loaves in their house-at-the-falls, trees with fruits and small creatures bounding about.

He needn't have worried much about the villagers: they welcomed all hands in New Vale's raising. But he neither would he be ever be back in Vale again.

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And here it is! Please remember to review (that is, give in your praises- what you liked!- and your constructive criticisms- what could be done better?- I truly feed on those, because I want to be a real writer some time in my life) I hope I will get at least 2 thoughtful reviews. I am already working on the next chapter, so... look forward to it :)


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